英语音频杂志：印度

　　India

　　by Julie Bray¹

　　

　　A1

　　Question: Where do pyjamas², yoga, curry³, gurus and Bollywood films come from?

　　Answer: India, of course!

　　A2

　　August the 15th is the birthday of modern, independent India. Fifty seven years ago Jawaharlal Nehru claimed independence for this huge country and its massive⁴ population. To celebrate, let’s look at some ways Indian culture has influenced and inspired other cultures around the world.

　　B

　　First, Indian food, especially its richly spiced dishes which are called ‘curry’ outside India, has become a worldwide favourite. Most countries have their own version of the Indian curry. In Japan it is very sweet and in Thailand an Indian-style chicken curry is served alongside⁵ Thai curries⁶. In the more cosmopolitan⁷ cities around the world, you can buy samosas⁸ (fried snacks with a filling) and naan bread alongside local snacks.

　　C

　　If you have eaten too many samosas and are worried about your health, try Yoga. This is an ancient Hindu philosophy and system of exercises originating⁹ in India. Yoga is now recognised all over the world as an intelligent form of exercise. Regular practice can heal minor¹⁰ illnesses, change your state of mind, help you lose weight or work your muscles. More and more different types of yoga are being developed and the original poses¹¹ have been adapted to suit modern needs. Yoga has become so fashionable around the world that a lot of companies are using pictures of people doing yoga dressed in white to sell their products!

　　D

　　One of the most famous things about modern Indian culture is the Indian film industry, known as Bollywood. The usual story is about a boy and a girl who love each other but their families don’t approve. There is a lot of dancing and singing in the film as the boy and girl try to convince their families to let them marry. The increasing interest in Bollywood films inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber to produce the musical Bombay Dreams, which had a very successful two years in London - everyone loved the music and the costumes! The show is now being shown on Broadway – the first Indian-themed musical to be shown there.

　　E

　　There are plenty of words used by people all over the world which have come from Indian languages. From Hindi we have shampoo, a word used with various spellings in quite a few languages, including German and Portuguese¹². This is a body or hair wash, but was originally a body scrub¹³ with herbs and warm water. A guru was originally a Hindu religious teacher, but these days the word is usually used to describe anyone who knows a lot about a certain subject and is considered an expert. A good example of this is ‘fashion guru’; a fashion expert whose ideas are important to designers. From the Tamil language we have the word rice in English, which comes from the word ‘arisi’, and mango which comes from the word ‘mangaai’.

　　F

　　Finally, pyjamas, the most comfortable clothes in the world, originated¹⁴ in India. Most of us usually wear them around the house or while sleeping. But the original pyjama suit is to be worn anywhere, and is still worn in India. Pyjamas are only the loose trousers, and these are worn with a very long shirt called a kurta. This is usually white or a pastel colour. Men usually wear pyjamas and kurtas, but women in India have shalwar (trousers) and a kameez, which is like a dress worn over the shalwar. Both of these suits are so comfortable and adaptable¹⁵ that in about 20 years’ time they should be more popular than jeans!

1 bray   

n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫

参考例句：

• She cut him off with a wild bray of laughter.她用刺耳的狂笑打断了他的讲话。
• The donkey brayed and tried to bolt.这头驴嘶叫着试图脱缰而逃。

2 pyjamas   

n.（宽大的）睡衣裤

参考例句：

• This pyjamas has many repairs.这件睡衣有许多修补过的地方。
• Martin was in his pyjamas.马丁穿着睡衣。

3 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

4 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

5 alongside   

adv.在旁边；prep.和...在一起，在...旁边

参考例句：

• There was a butcher's shop alongside the theatre.剧院旁边有一家肉店。
• Alongside of him stood his uncle.他的身旁站着他叔叔。

6 curries   

n.咖喱食品( curry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Coconut is a basic ingredient for many curries. 椰子是多种咖喱菜的基本成分。
• Coriander is used in Indian curries, gin, American cigarettes, and sausage. 胡荽多被用在：印度咖哩粉，杜松子酒，美国香烟，香肠。 来自互联网

7 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

8 samosas   

n.萨莫萨三角饺( samosa的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The food will be samosas, chicken curry and rice, and naan bread. 食品将是五香三角菜饺，咖喱鸡肉饭和印度飞饼。 来自互联网
• A: How about some vegetable samosas to start and today's special chicken curry? 甲：那么先尝一尝蔬菜炸馅角然后再试‘日精选-咖哩鸡’好不好？ 来自互联网

9 originating   

v.起源于，来自，产生( originate的现在分词 )；创造；创始；开创

参考例句：

• There is a neoplasm originating in his leg's epidermis. 他的腿上有个生长在表皮上的肿瘤。 来自辞典例句
• Ground waters originating in different beds commingle. 来源于不同层位的地下水相互混合。 来自辞典例句

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 poses   

使摆姿势( pose的第三人称单数 )； 以…身份出现； 招摇； 炫耀

参考例句：

• This poses a threat to agriculture and the food chain, and consequently to human health. 这会对农业和食物链造成威胁，由此而危及人的健康。
• The high cost of oil poses serious problems for industry. 昂贵的石油价格给工业造成了严重困难。

12 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

13 scrub   

n.用力擦洗，矮树，渺小之物；v.用力擦洗

参考例句：

• I got paint on my hands and it won't scrub off.我手上沾上了油漆，擦不掉。
• The great plain was covered in scrub and small lifeless trees.浩瀚的平原覆盖着灌木和毫无生气的矮小树林。

14 originated   

v.起源于，来自，产生( originate的过去式和过去分词 )；创造；创始；开创

参考例句：

• The disease is thought to have originated in the tropics. 这种疾病据说起源于热带地区。
• The art of portrait miniatures was originated in England. 微型画像艺术创始于英国。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。